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The Garden Keeper
By Amiboshi-chan
Chapter ten
Soft fingers of early morning sunlight were only just beginning to climb into the sky. In the red-orange glow, a young couple sat wrapped in each other's arms.
Syaoran craned his neck to look at the back of Sakura's head as she rested against his shoulder. "Sakura," he whispered softly.
"Mmm."
"I need to go load up the car. Coming with?"
Sakura slowly pulled away, stretching as she sat up. Finally she looked as Syaoran. "In a minute. Give me a few moments and I'll meet you out there."
Syaoran nodded. He placed a quick kiss on her cheek and stood, smiling at her once more. "I'm glad you decided to come with me, Sakura." Sakura nodded, and he exited the garden, strolling towards the house.
Sakura watched Syaoran until he disappeared from sight, then she lowered her head with a sigh. She raised her eyes once more and focused them on the lone violet rose. "I'll miss you, old friend." Sakura rose, straightened her skirt and walked to the arbory. She paused, looked back once more, then stepped out into the overgrowth.
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Syaoran closed the trunk of his car and turned as Sakura appeared through the trees. He stopped for a moment watching her peer around her and slowly make her way toward him, thinking she looked no less pure and innocent than the ten-year-old woman-child he first met.
Sakura stopped suddenly, and seemed to study something with great interest. Syaoran followed the line of her gaze to the green car he was currently leaning on.
"This is your . . .car?"
Syaoran rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know, I know. It's a Corolla. Not very flashy. It gets good gas mileage, though." Sakura only nodded.
"Well, we should get going before the traffic gets bad. We might be able to make it on the ferry before the morning rush if we hurry." Syaoran had already said his farewells to Menami the night before, knowing he would have to leave before she awoke if he ever wanted to sneak Sakura out of there and escape interrogation.
He walked around to the passenger-side and opened the door. Sakura took her cue and came around, murmuring her thanks as she slid into the car seat. Syaoran shut the door behind her and walked back around, climbing into the driver's seat and starting the ignition. Quietly, the Toyota backed out of the driveway and into the night.
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Syaoran looked over at Sakura and smiled. She had finally curled up in the car seat and fallen asleep. He looked out the window at the water rolling by. The ferry was unusually quiet—only a few cars were crossing that early in the morning. Syaoran settled back to wait out the ferry ride. Within seconds he nodded off.
A loud rapping on the car window roused Syaoran from his doze. Slowly he sat up and rolled down the window, looking up at the ferry worker. "Ferry's docked, boy. Time to get going."
"Oh." Syaoran started the car. 'Thanks."
The man touched a finger to the brim of his baseball cap. "You drive safe now."
Syaoran nodded and rolled up the window. The man stepped aside while the car rolled down onto the dock and pulled into the small drive leading up to the freeway.
A few hours later Syaoran pulled into the parking lot of a cafe and turned to Sakura. He grasped her shoulder, shaking it slightly. "Sakura, wake up."
Sakura groaned and rolled over as best she could with a seat belt pinning her to the car seat. Syaoran shook her again, and her eyes finally fluttered open. "What- what is it? What's going on?" Sakura looked around. "Where are we?"
"We've stopped for a while. Let's get something to eat." Sakura nodded and allowed Syaoran to get out and come around to open her car door before unbuckling her seatbelt and sliding out.
Syaoran walked in and led Sakura to a table by the window. Sakura gazed intently at the passing cars. Syaoran touched her shoulder to get her attention when the waitress came for their orders.
"I'll have a cheeseburger and a coke," Syaoran decided after scanning the menu. The waitress nodded, then turned to Sakura.
"And for you, Miss?"
Sakura tensed. She looked blankly at the menu, unable to meet the waitress's gaze. Her cheeks colored hotly as the silence dragged on.
'Oh, maybe she expects me to order for her,' Syaoran realized. "Um, make that two cheeseburgers." The waitress nodded again and slipped away. Sakura looked at Syaoran with gratitude.
The food came, and once again Syaoran had to smile as Sakura's face lit up as she tasted the cheeseburger, as if it were wonderful and exotic.
They ate in relative silence, Syaoran glancing up from his dinner to catch glimpses of Sakura. He snickered as she sneezed when she drank her bubbly cola to quickly. They finished their meal and headed back out to the car.
Syaoran walked over to his door and opened it before looking over to see if Sakura was getting in. He froze when Sakura was nowhere to be seen. "Sakura?" He strode around the car to see if she was still in the café, but paused when he caught a glimpse of her in the corner of his eye.
Sakura was slouched beside the car door, looking pale and breathing labouredly. Syaoran was at her side in a second. "Sakura, are you all right? Are you hurt?" Sakura didn't respond a moment, but then she looked up and caught his gaze, her breathing returning to normal. She grasped his sleeve as she pulled herself to her feet.
"I'm fine. I just . . . I felt faint, that is all." Syaoran looked unconvinced, so Sakura pulled away from him and smiled. "See? I'm okay." The color was returning to her cheeks as Syaoran watched her closely. She opened the car door and threw a smile over her shoulder at him. Only when she was securely seated in the car did he turn back to the driver's side of the car.
They pulled out of the parking lot. Sakura was back to her normal, smiley self, as if nothing had happened. She turned on the radio and began to sing along, in a clear, sweet voice. Syaoran assured himself that she was okay now—perhaps she had eaten too much, or she was simply tired. But a foreboding sense of dread lingered in his mind as the drove off into the darkness.
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